JUNE 2019 BLOG

Volume 1, Edition 8

JUNE
2019

A word from theFirst Lady of Louisiana

Happy June, my Friends!

June 20th is officially the first day of summer. This year in Louisiana, it seems to have started a bit sooner, more like May 20th. Summer can be both a challenge and a carefree time for parents and grandparents. Time to get away to take some downtime for yourself. To breathe in the warm air, sit in the shade, swim, play tennis, golf, and catch up with friends and family. Summer can also be a challenge for those who have a difficult time with the heat and those trying to take care of young people.

I was speaking to a friend the other day, a young mother, and she told me about the “Staycation” she put together with her children one summer. She decided to visit our State Tourist Center and pick up the many available pamphlets. What a great idea! Such a great way to learn more about our own state of Louisiana and learn more about its rich history, culture and have fun all at the same time. So, I reached out to our incredible Tourism Department, and they provided the information below.

In June the Tourism’s Staycation campaign is focused on our Trails and Byways program since summer is an ideal time for a family road trip. They have included a brief overview of the trails program, which includes links to the program’s website https://byways.louisianatravel.com and brochure here.

They have pulled out details on 5 specific trails out of the 19 in the program. They vary in experiences offered from outdoor/fishing to history, music, and culture.

Lastly, I would like to encourage everyone to visit your local library. We have amazing libraries and librarians throughout our state. Summer is a great time to take your children and grandchildren to the Summer Library Programs.

These are just a few of the many opportunities and ideas to make your Staycation the best ever.

Geaux out and Feed Your Soul right here at home in our great state of Louisiana!

Enjoy your summer my friends,

The Louisiana Summer Reading Program 2019: A Universe of Stories

Since 1984, one of the State Library of Louisiana’s top priorities has been to improve literacy levels statewide through programming and outreach for all ages beginning with early literacy programming all the way up to adult reading programs. Current research on “summer learning loss” indicates that students can lose up to two months of reading proficiency if they do not read or participate in literacy activities during the summer months. This is cumulative, so those lost months can add up over time. To combat this potential learning loss for Louisiana students, the State Library of Louisiana provides the high-quality Louisiana Summer Reading Program (LSRP), with materials and training, to Louisiana’s 340 public libraries, all of which participate in this annual reading program. On average, 110,000 children participate statewide. Additionally, over 2.5 million library materials circulate statewide in Louisiana during the LSRP, which is free and open to everyone in every parish in Louisiana. Moreover, those children registered with the State Library’s Talking Books and Braille Library (TBBL) may also participate.

Louisiana First Foundation

Yes Mam, No Mam, Thank you Mam = Teach MAM!

TEACH MAM

We are excited to announce the roll out of the Teach MAM Pilot has begun! This initiative intends to support music, arts and movement in K-12 public schools across Louisiana! The Louisiana First Foundation has partnered with the New Orleans Arts Education Alliance on the Teach MAM (Music, Arts and Movement) Certification Program, an innovative new program to help schools measure and increase access to these enrichment areas. Five Louisiana School Districts were invited to participate in the pilot.
In order to participate, we asked the districts to identify 2-3 schools in their district to invite to complete the Pilot Survey. The schools chosen were diverse in their offerings; for example:
*A high-, middle- and low-performing school.
*A school that offers high-quality programming in music, arts and movement, and a school that offers little to no programming in these subject areas.

LOUISIANA FOSTERS

Expansion of Foster Care to Age 21 –
Louisiana will extend foster care to age 21 for all youth in care on their 18th birthday, following the recent passage and signing of Senate Bill 109.
SB 109, authored by Sen. Regina Barrow and included in Gov. John Bel Edwards’s legislative package, follows through on the recommendations of a legislative task force which found that extending the age of care would help improve outcomes for foster youth. The Governor signed the bill into law on June 6, 2019.
The voluntary program will allow the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to provide intensive services to aid in youths’ transition to adulthood.
Former foster youth, serving as interns through the Louisiana Institute for Children in Families, testified in the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children, chaired by Barrow, about the impact that the continued support of extended care would have had on their lives.

ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING

What does it take to end human trafficking? It takes a village, it takes advocating, it takes blood sweat and tears and it takes being willing to go back to the drawing board over and over again when plans, strategies and systems fail. It takes investment, not just from the top, powerful few. It takes investment by us all. The doctors, teachers, counselors, police officers, stay at home moms, judges, legislators, pastors, bankers, waiters or waitresses, truck drivers, ER nurses or non-profit employees….it takes all of us.Everyone has a role to play in ending human trafficking, whether they know it or not. We must realize that human trafficking isn’t just a “cause” or an “issue” to champion. Human trafficking affects people, and those lives are worth moving heaven and earth for. We must decide that we all have something in our hands that we can use to serve the vulnerable and forgotten. Our resources, influence, skills, time, power, hobbies and our passion; we all have something we can give.

GARDEN PARTY AT THE MANSION

The Rose Long Garden

In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, Mrs. Peggy Martin returned to her parents’ home in New Orleans, Louisiana. Feeling overwhelmed because the storm took her parents, home and gardens, Peggy looked over into the garden, and a feeling of hope overcame her as she noticed some green growing. It became a plant of promise as it grew into beautiful pink roses. Peggy’s story and the roses have been featured in Southern Living and several other major publications. A cutting of this Katrina Survivor Rose was given to the mansion garden in 2016 and grew beautifully over the walkway arches.

Then in 2017, the Governor’s Mansion Rose Garden was named in honor of the First Lady’s dear friend, Rose Long, and Senator Gerald Long’s wife, who was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. In this rose garden, there is a bush to represent all 64 parishes as well as the Katrina Survivor Roses. The parishes that have contributed towards our Governor’s Mansion Preservation Foundation and have a plaque in front of their rose bush are: Ascension Parish, Beauregard Parish, Bienville Parish, Cameron Parish, East Carroll Parish, East Feliciana Parish, Grant Parish, East Carroll Parish, Grant Parish, Jackson Parish, Jeff Davis Parish, Jefferson Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lincoln Parish, East Carroll Parish, Grant Parish, Livingston Parish, Natchitoches Parish, Pointe Coupee Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Helena Parish, St. James Parish, St. Landry Parish, St. Mary’s Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Terrebonne Parish, Washington Parish, West Feliciana Parish, Winn Parish.

Ladies of Louisiana
Making a Difference

COMMUNITY

The Black & Gold Classic is not just another event for the military. They use their standing as NFL players to bring awareness to the needs of service members and their families. Their mission comes from the heart and experience of just how much these men and women give to protect our nation.
Stan Brock is a former NFL lineman who played 13 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, 3 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and was both the Offensive Line coach and Head Coach for West Point military academy. When he saw one of his linemen lying in the hospital bed after losing his leg during a deployment, something changed. Looking around at these men and women risking everything for us, he knew that he needed to do something to support them. And that was the beginning of the Black and Gold Classic.

SCHOOLS

Today’s school libraries are not the same quiet libraries that most of us grew up knowing. The Thibodaux High School Media Center is full of activity where students come to use the computers, read, hang out with friends, and buy a snack or drink from our Starbooks Café. Most importantly, it is a safe spot for our students – a place where they feel welcomed.
Two of my personal goals are to find the right book at the right time and to make lifelong readers out of students. I do this by attending conferences, keeping up with the latest in Young Adult (YA) fiction, and getting students involved in the community.
In May, I received a Donor’s Choose grant. The funds allowed me to purchase ten copies of four different books from a list of the latest award-winning YA books.

MILITARY

Tonja Myles is a local outreach pastor at Love Alive Church, community activist and advocate, peer counselor, sought after counsel for community-based and system approaches, and a military veteran. Sgt. Tonja Richard, her maiden name, served as a military policeman in The Louisiana Army National Guard for nine years. She promotes mental health awareness and rehabilitation with sharing her life experiences of being in recovery from addiction for over 35 years, two-time suicide survivor, as well as a victim of childhood and adult sexual abuse. Her story is shared in published books, magazines, documentaries, and national television series. She is a passionate advocate of humane and ethical treatment of individuals with mental illness.
She has served on several boards and continues her mission as a servant leader in her community serving on The Mayor’s mental health advisory council, Veterans advisory council as well as a member NAMI.

BUSINESS

Casey David is an entrepreneur and artist who has two very energetic little boys. She hails from Shreveport and is bringing the area an exciting new party prop! Casey spends her time working on various projects which led to her brainstorm idea. She had a horse trailer and needed something to do with it. Interested in the mobile concept of serving people, she wanted to do a food truck of some kind but had no basic cooking skills whatsoever….enter champagne! She transformed a two-stall horse trailer into an interactive bar with four taps and a full back bar. While most food trucks are a walk-up-and-order-and-leave trailers, Champagne Charlie’s Bubble Bar offers the customer a place to sit and enjoy crisp champagne, wine, beer and whatever the customer provides wants to supply! It has a bubble machine which is a huge hit with both children and adults! The trailer is available for weddings, events, parties and festivals. Travel is available.